Title: Sarah Companion: Sarah's Birthday
Author: Carol Gritton
Series: Sarah series
Disclaimer: Fox Mulder, Dana Scully belong to Chris Carter, 1013 Productions and Fox TV. They are used without permission and no infringement of copyright is intended.
ARCHIVING: Please archive at Gossamer; any where else please ask first. Thank you!
Rating: G
Classification: S, R (MSR)

Summary: Sarah celebrates her seventh birthday.

Scully recognized that pensive look. "What's up?" she asked, handing Mulder a welcome mug of coffee. He looked up at her and smiled. "It's Sarah's seventh birthday next week."

"I know," replied Scully, smiling fondly as the image of Mulder's little girl popped unbidden into her thoughts. "Do you have anything special planned?" She took a mouthful of coffee. "I was thinking of giving her a party."

"I'm sure she'd love one, Mulder. What did you have in mind?"

"Nothing too grand - maybe half a dozen of her school friends." He stirred his coffee with a ballpoint pen.

"I meant what were you planning on doing? Something at home, a trip to Planet Hollywood or the Hard Rock Cafe maybe?"

"Something at home, I think. At least that way the kids will be in a confined space - there'll be less chance of me losing any of them!"

Scully smiled again - she was sure that Mulder had no idea as to what he was letting himself in for. Coping with one boisterous seven year old would be hard enough, let alone another six on top. "When are you thinking of having this party?"

Mulder consulted the little calendar on his desk. "Well, Sarah's birthday is on Tuesday, so I thought perhaps the following Saturday. That way, I'll have the Sunday to recover!" He grinned at Scully - there was always a method in his madness.

"I'm house sitting for my Mom that weekend. She'll be visiting Charles and Nina. I'm sure she wouldn't mind if you held Sarah's party at the house." Scully eyed him over the rim of her mug.

"Oh, I couldn't, Scully..." Mulder didn't feel that he could subject Mrs. Scully's home to an invasion of rampaging six and seven year olds.

"Don't be silly, Mulder - it's the logical solution. There'll be plenty of room to accommodate seven kids comfortably, and if the weather's fine, they can go out into the garden."

Mulder gave her the most wonderful smile, and reached out, taking her hand. "Agent Scully to the rescue, as usual!"

"So what do you think, Mulder?"

"I think it's a great idea - provided your mom is agreeable."

"Well, she'll be happy that the house is occupied - she doesn't really like to leave it empty."

Mulder nodded thoughtfully. "So, Scully - will you be all right in that big house all on your own?" he asked airily. "You don't think you'll need a big strong man to look after you?"

"Do you know where I can find one, Mulder?" Scully grinned impishly, then laughed aloud at his wounded expression. "Actually, that's where you come in."

"Oh?"

Scully leaned in close and whispered, "Don't forget to bring your toothbrush."

Mulder spluttered into his coffee, sending a small spray onto the papers covering his desk. He hadn't been expecting that. Scully mopped up the droplets of coffee while her partner recovered his equilibrium. "What's the matter, Mulder?" It wasn't often that Scully wrong footed him and she was quite enjoying the spectacle of her usually calm and collected partner looking completely flustered.

"Nothing! I..." His mouth opened and closed like a fish. He still wasn't sure that he'd heard right.

"What's this, Mulder? Lost for words?" Another impish grin covered Scully's face. "I just wasn't expecting to stay the night in your mother's house, Scully." Mulder shifted about in his seat. "I don't know that I'd feel comfortable if you and I... you know..."

Scully curled her fingers around his wrist. "Mulder, we're both adults and my mother is more broad-minded than you think. Anyway, I know it's only been a little while, but I've kind of gotten used to waking up on a Sunday morning and finding you next to me." Scully gave him one of her rare, loving smiles.

Mulder matched her smile with one of his own, then lifted her hand and kissed the back of it. "Me too, Scully."

"So that's settled then, is it?" Mulder nodded, still pleasantly dazed. His partner never ceased to amaze him.

Mulder patted the cushion beside him. "Come and sit by me, Sarah. There's something I want to talk to you about."

Sarah looked up at her father, her expression anxious. "Did I do something wrong, Daddy?"

He smiled reassuringly at her. "No, sweetheart - I want to talk to you about your birthday."

With that, Sarah smiled and climbed up beside him. "You're getting to be a big girl now, Sarah - you'll be seven next week." Mulder gave her a squeeze. "And as a special treat, I thought you might like to have a birthday party. Would you like that?"

Sarah was thrilled, her little face lighting up. "Can I invite all my friends?"

Mulder chuckled. "Well, not all of them, sweetheart. You can choose six friends to invite, so you'll have to think very carefully. Then when you've decided who you want to ask, we'll send some invitations."

"Will it be a real party, Daddy, with balloons and birthday cake?"

His arms went around her. "If that's what you want, Sarah." He smiled, seeing the excitement in her face.

"Will I get presents? Jodie had lots of presents at her party. She had a big party in her garden. Can I have my party in the garden?"

Mulder chuckled at her non-stop barrage. "I don't think the neighbors would be very happy at a lot of children running about in the garden," he replied. "Anyway, we're not going to have your party here. We're going to have it at Auntie Margaret's house."

"Why?"

"Because she has more room than we do."

"But how will my friends know that my party is at Auntie Margaret's house?"

"Because we'll tell them on the invitations."

"Will I still be able to have balloons and cake?"

"Of course!" Mulder chuckled again and hugged her.

The next evening, Mulder and Sarah sat at the dining table to write the invitations. He had picked up some ready printed cards during his lunch hour. They had a colorful clown on the front, and all he had to do was fill the blank spaces inside with the party details. Mulder and Scully had decided that the party would begin at four o'clock and end at seven. Three hours was quite long enough in the company of seven children, especially if you weren't used to it.

"So who have you decided to invite, Sarah?"

"Vanessa, Bobby Connor, Cindy and Daryl, Carla and Lucy." Mulder duly wrote the invitations; printing the party details, fearing that the recipients parents wouldn't be able to decipher his usual scrawl, and making sure to add an RSVP request. Sarah then placed each one in an envelope and sealed it. "There - all done. We'll take these to school with us tomorrow morning and give them out before school starts. Now, I think it's time for your bath!"

One thing was puzzling Sarah. She looked up at her father as he arranged the bed covers over her. "Daddy?"

"Yes, sweetheart?" He sat on the edge of her little bed. "If my birthday is on Tuesday, but my party isn't till Saturday, will I have to wait for my presents?"

He smoothed his hand over her furrowed brow. "No, Sarah. It'll be like having two birthdays. You'll get most of your cards and presents on your birthday, and if you're really lucky, you might get some more at your party."

She digested that with a satisfied nod. Mulder waited. He could see that she was working up to another question. "Daddy, can I have a square cake with candles?"

"If that's what you would like." He could see the excitement and anticipation in her face.

"And white icing with pink roses?"

"Yes," he chuckled, tucking the covers around her. "Now I think it's time you went to sleep." He leaned over and kissed her cheek. "Goodnight, Sarah. I love you."

"I love you too, Daddy." He waited for a while, until she turned onto her side, then made his way out into the living room, smiling and shaking his head. If he wasn't careful, he was going to end up with a list of requests as long as his arm.

Scully laughed as Mulder related all of Sarah's worries and requests the next day. "She's excited, Mulder. I assume that Annie used to throw a party on Sarah's birthday?"

Mulder nodded, and his face took on a sad expression. "I never went to any of them, though."

He didn't elaborate, and Scully didn't ask. She couldn't bear to entertain the thought that he hadn't even been invited to his own daughter's birthday party. Scully knew how things had been between Mulder and Annie, but she couldn't believe that the woman would have been so cruel as to stop him from seeing his child on her birthday.

"These days it's almost obligatory for a child to have a birthday party every year from age one onwards," said Scully. "There's great competition between parents to provide ever more exciting parties for their children and they'll try to outdo one another when it comes to organizing the entertainment and activities."

"What do you mean?" Mulder didn't like the sound of that. Obviously he still had a lot to learn about the politics of parenting.

"Well, for example - one parent will hold their child's party at the Hard Rock Cafe. The next one will organize a trip to the zoo first and then take the kids for a meal at the Hard Rock Cafe afterwards."

"Makes my effort look a little lackluster and unimaginative," sighed Mulder mournfully.

"No it doesn't," replied Scully warmly, taking his hand and giving it a gentle squeeze. "I know Sarah - she'll be thrilled with whatever you organize. She won't care what it is, as long as you're there. That's the most important thing to her, Mulder."

"I knew that the kids of today were sophisticated, but..." He trailed off, lost for words.

"Mulder, Sarah will love her party, trust me."

"Don't I always, Scully?" he replied with a smile.

Mulder hadn't realized that there was so much involved in organizing a children's party. Most of their discussions had taken place at work, Mulder wanting the exact proceedings to be a surprise for Sarah on the day. They had discussed the menu, and he had bowed to Scully's greater experience in this area when she had suggested finger food, with cake and ice cream. The birthday cake had been ordered - Mulder had gone out in his lunch hour, and found the perfect specimen - a square sponge cake, with white icing and small pink sugar roses in each corner.

"Party bags - you must have party bags," declared Scully.

Mulder had looked at her blankly. "Enlighten me, Scully."

"It's just a little bag, one for each child - a sort of 'thank you for coming to my party' gift that you give out as they leave. They usually contain a few candies, a balloon and a little toy or novelty - perhaps a hair clip for the girls and a car for the boys. Oh, and a piece of the birthday cake."

"Anything else?"

"Games - we'll need to organize some games. Nothing too fancy or complicated - we can start off with a treasure hunt or something like that. The child that collects the most chocolate coins gets a prize."

"What sort of a prize?"

"A little candy bar, or something similar. Just a token really. The aim is for each child to end up with a prize - we don't want anyone to feel left out."

With one week to go before the party, Scully made her way over to Mulder's apartment. The reason for her visit was to finalize the party arrangements. Mulder was ensconced in the living room, reviewing a clutch of old files, while Scully and Sarah were out in the kitchen, the little girl having cajoled Scully into making a batch of brownies.

"You make the best brownies, Dana." Sarah popped another piece of shelled walnut into her mouth from the pack on the table.

"Thank you." Scully smiled.

"Will you make some for my party?"

"If you like."

Another walnut disappeared. "And can you make sure that Daddy gets chocolate ice cream?"

Scully laughed. Sarah was so excited about her forthcoming party. "Okay, I'll ask him." Scully looked at the little girl she now regarded as her own. "Have you ever had a birthday party before, Sarah?"

"When I was four," answered the child. "I had a party at our house in Boston. Mommy's friend Jill came and painted our faces. I was a cat."

"What sort of a cat?" Scully listened with interest, as did Mulder. Scully could see him through the crack in the kitchen door - he was standing just behind it, the file in his hand forgotten.

"A stripy one, with long whiskers and sharp claws." The little girl curled her fingers to demonstrate, then another walnut piece went into her mouth. "And I had a black nose. Jack didn't want to be a cat, he wanted to be a clown."

"Who's Jack?" asked Scully, stirring the brownie mixture.

"He's my cousin in Boston. I have five cousins in Boston. David, Jack, Thomas, Hannah and Rachel. They live with my Uncle Tim and Auntie Clare." The little girl sighed, her chin propped in her hand. "I wish they could come to my party."

Scully knew that Sarah's aunt and uncle were not well off, and that it would be a struggle for them to afford the cost of bringing the whole family down for an occasion that would amount to no more than a flying visit. "Maybe they can come next time," suggested Scully. "What else did you do at your party?"

"We played hide and seek. Can we play hide and seek next week?"

"We'll see, Sarah. When I was a little girl I used to play hide and seek at my Mom's house. There are lots of good hiding places." Scully wiped her hands on a towel.

"Can you show me them?" asked Sarah eagerly.

Scully laughed. "That would be cheating, wouldn't it? Now, I think you'd better help me measure out the walnuts before you eat them all!" That done, Sarah stirred the walnuts into the brownie mixture, then tipped it into the baking tin. Scully smoothed the top, and then put the tin into the oven.

"Tell me more about your party," said Scully as she made herself comfortable at the table. "Who else came besides your cousins?"

"Some of my friends from kindergarten. I wished that Daddy was there. I wanted Daddy to come to my party." Sarah's voice was wistful. "Mommy said that Daddy could come to the next one, but then she got sick. I didn't have another party after that, 'cause Mommy was too sick and then she died."

Sarah reached out to Scully, wanting comfort, at the same time Mulder came into the kitchen. He'd heard every word that the child had uttered, and had come out to comfort his daughter, only to find her sitting in Scully's lap, being cuddled and soothed.

Scully looked up at him as she smoothed a hand over Sarah's glossy hair. "It's okay, Mulder - we're fine," she said softly. "You go back to your files." Scully relished the moment, a warm feeling flooding through her veins. Ever since Sarah's accident, the child turned to her for comfort. The final acceptance. Scully knew she could never take the place of Sarah's mother, but she hoped that she was a good substitute, and it filled her heart with pride and joy when the child, quite unconsciously, called her 'Mommy' every now and then.

To all intents and purposes, they were a family - all that was missing was the legal paperwork. Scully closed her eyes and savored the feel of Sarah in her arms, brushing her lips against the soft skin on the little girl's cheek as she had seen Mulder do so many times. How she had envied him then.

Scully sat in quiet contemplation for a few moments longer then said softly, "I think we'd better have a look at those brownies, don't you? We don't want them to burn."

A while later, Mulder joined Scully and Sarah in the tiny kitchen for the ritual sampling of the goods. "So, Scully - anything else I should know before next Saturday rolls around?"

Mulder took a bite out of his brownie. Sarah sat beside him, her mouth ringed with chocolate from the fudgy icing that topped the little confections.

"Take my advice, Mulder, and wear something comfortable. While you're about it, make sure that it's something that can be washed if it gets dirty. You never know when you might end up with cake or ice cream down your front."

"Scully, you're making me wish I'd never thought of this party."

"Don't look so worried - you'll be fine. They're just kids, Mulder!"

"Yeah - that's what worries me!"

Tuesday, Sarah's birthday, was upon them before they knew it. She was so excited that she was awake long before her usual hour. The little girl slipped out of bed, and headed for the bathroom. Mulder was also awake. When he saw Sarah heading his way, he closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep. She carefully lifted the blanket that covered him, and squeezed in beside him, pressing her warm little body to his. Her hair was loose, and fell half across her face. He preferred it that way, but when Scully had charge of Sarah, she liked to braid it before the little girl went to bed. Scully maintained that it made Sarah's hair more manageable and easier to deal with in the mornings. Sarah raised her head a little to get a better look at her father. His face was slightly turned away from her, but she could see the dark stubble on his cheeks that always tickled her lips when she kissed him.

"Are you awake, Daddy?" she whispered softly. Her father frowned and smacked his lips together, shifting about under the blanket, still maintaining his charade of being asleep. Sarah shook him gently. "Daddy? Are you awake?"

"Hmm?" Mulder half opened one eye and regarded his daughter. "Sarah? What are you doing up so early?"

"It's my birthday today," she announced with a big smile.

Mulder thought he'd have a little fun with her. "Is it?" he frowned. "I thought your birthday was next week."

"No, Daddy... it's today."

Mulder shook his head. "I'm sure it's next week. How old are you?"

"Seven," answered Sarah proudly.

"No... my little girl isn't seven," said Mulder, wrapping his arms around her. He reveled in her warmth and fragrance. How he wished she could stay this age forever.

"I am, Daddy." Sarah was most definite about that. She was very proud of the fact that she knew her full name and date of birth, her full address and home telephone number, all of which tickled Mulder. Sarah could be quite the young lady when she wanted to be.

"Well, if you're sure... I guess I'd better give you your birthday card and your presents." His face broke into a big grin, and father and daughter hugged one another tightly. "Happy birthday, sweetheart."

He gave her a another squeeze and a kiss on the cheek, then slipped off the couch and went into her bedroom. He retrieved her gifts from the back of the high shelf in her closet. He came back and nestled in beside her, handing her a large envelope. "Open this first, Sarah."

The little girl tore open the envelope and pulled out the birthday card. On the front was a group of dancing teddy bears. "They all look like Growler," she said and smiled Sarah. She opened the card and saw her father's message. He'd printed it so that she could read it. It said, 'To my dearest daughter, Sarah... with lots and lots of love, Daddy.' And he'd put seven kisses underneath. Sarah put the card to one side, and Mulder handed her a prettily wrapped package. "What is it, Daddy?"

Mulder chuckled. "Sweetheart, you have to open it to find out."

Sarah quickly tore off the paper. Inside was a packet of glow in the dark stars. Sarah had been after some for ages, and her eyes lit up with delight. "Can we put them on my bedroom ceiling, Daddy? Can we do it now?"

"Yes, we can put them on your ceiling, but we'll do it later," chuckled Mulder. "Don't you want the rest of your presents?"

"Yes, please." The little girl waited expectantly as her father selected another beautifully wrapped gift and handed it to her.

In a trice, Sarah had the paper off, revealing two pretty embroidered t-shirts. He had also bought her a pair of lightweight, royal blue cotton jeans for the summer. "I can wear the jeans with these t-shirts, can't I, Daddy?"

Mulder nodded. "I think they'll go well together, don't you? Now, are you ready for my last present?" From behind his back, Mulder produced a package, wrapped in heavily embossed paper, and adorned with gold ribbon and a bow. He placed it in Sarah's small hands, her rich brown eyes bright with excitement.

"It's heavy, Daddy," she observed.

"Yes, it is. You should be careful opening it." Sarah set about opening the gift, first placing it on the cushion beside her. She carefully removed the ribbon and bow, then undid the paper. Inside was a box. Sarah opened it, and looked within. She caught her breath. "Daddy!" The little girl lifted the object out of the box and admired it. Mulder had given her a Swarovski Silver Crystal Dolphin. Sarah was particularly fond of dolphins, and he had wanted to give her something special, something that she could keep to remind her of her first birthday spent with her father. She turned it this way and that in her hands, fascinated by the way it caught the light, and the way the light was refracted by the crystal.

"Do you like it, Sarah?" asked Mulder.

The little girl nodded, a huge smile on her face. "What's his name, Daddy?"

"Well, he doesn't have a name, sweetheart. You can give him a name if you want to."

"I'm going to call him Flipper," declared Sarah, and Mulder chuckled, a loving hand running over her tousled locks. "I'm going to put him on my dresser."

"That's a good idea. Maybe you'll get some other little ornaments to put on the dresser, too."

After Sarah had opened all her cards and presents, they had breakfast then took it in turns to wash and dress. Sarah stood very patiently while her father brushed her hair. He loved to do it - he found it so calming. "There - all done. Put your barrette on, and let me look at you." Sarah slipped the barrette into her hair and turned and faced him.

A lump appeared in his throat - she made the prettiest picture. Mulder smiled, his eyes glistening with unshed tears. "You look lovely, sweetheart. Can I have a hug?" He held out his arms and Sarah went willingly into his embrace. He held her close, his face buried in her silky hair, his hands stroking her back.

They were still hugging when there was a knock at the door. "Who's that, Daddy?" asked Sarah, pulling away from him. He felt her loss immediately.

"I don't know, sweetheart. Shall we find out?" Mulder took her hand and they went to the door. He opened it, and there stood Scully.

"Dana!" squealed Sarah, and she threw her arms around Scully.

"Goodness me!" chuckled Scully. "You get taller every day, Sarah. You're nearly as tall as I am! Happy birthday, sweetheart." Scully kissed the velvety cheek, then Sarah took her hand and pulled her into the apartment.

"Come and see what Daddy gave me for my birthday," she said eagerly, and she hauled Scully to the coffee table, where her father's gifts were displayed. The child went through each one, saving the dolphin to last. "This is Flipper. I'm going to put him on my dresser." She held the ornament up to the light. "Look at the colors, Dana. It's like the rainbow."

"I can see. It's beautiful, Sarah," said Scully warmly. "You'll have to take good care of it. Now, I have a present for you, too. And I also have a card and present for you from Auntie Margaret." Sarah's face lit up, and she clasped her hands and hunched her shoulders at the thought of more gifts.

"You're a lucky girl, aren't you?" asked Mulder, his hand smoothing over her hair. Sarah gazed up at her father adoringly and nodded. "Shall we see what Dana and Auntie Margaret have brought you?"

"Now, what have we here?" said Scully, dipping into the capacious bag she was carrying and handing a card and a gaily wrapped, flat, rectangular package to the little girl. "This is from Auntie Margaret."

Sarah opened the card, and then the present, which was a large box of paints, complete with brushes. Her eyes lit up in delight. "Look, Daddy!" She held the paint box up so that he could see it.

"That's great... look at all the different colors. Just think of all the pictures you can paint for my office! You must call Auntie Margaret later to thank her."

"Okay, Daddy." Sarah turned to Scully. "I'm going to paint Auntie Margaret a picture with my new paints."

"I'm sure she'd like that, Sarah." Scully smiled. She touched her hand to the little girl's smiling face. "Are you ready for my presents now?"

Sarah nodded, and Scully reached into the bag again, lifting out another card and gift. She handed them to the little girl. Sarah read the card and then feverishly opened the gift. It was a word puzzle game for the computer. As well as having some ready made games, it allowed you to make up your own.

Sarah loved anything that presented her with a challenge. "Thank you, Dana," said Sarah, giving Scully a big hug.

"You're welcome, Sarah. I'm glad you like it." She reached into the bag again, drawing out a smaller gift and passing it to the child. Sarah ripped off the paper and opened the small box. Inside was a little teddy bear figurine - one of the Cherished Teddies collection.

"She's pretty," said Sarah, carefully lifting the small figure out of the box. The little teddy bear was sitting with a vase of yellow daisies in front of her. She sported a blue and white sailor collar and two blue bows on her head.

"Her name's Susan," said Scully.

"You could put her on your dresser with the dolphin." Mulder glanced at his watch. "Well, if that's the birthday present ceremony over and done with, I think it's time we headed off."

"So what other birthday presents did you get, Sarah?" asked Scully, as Mulder drove Sarah to school.

"Some books from Uncle Tim and Auntie Clare, a blouse from Granny Page, a game from Papa Jim and some money from Granny Mulder."

"Remind me to tell you about that later, Scully," interjected Mulder.

"About what, Mulder?"

"The money from my mom."

"Right." Scully gathered that he wasn't happy about it, and didn't want to discuss it in front of the child. They dropped Sarah at school, then headed off to the office. "So what's the story behind the money from your mom?" asked Scully.

"She's opened a savings account for Sarah," explained Mulder. "There's a thousand dollars in it."

"That was nice of her, Mulder."

He gave her a sidelong glance. "Well, Mom never does things by halves, as you know. She sent me the pass book so that we can pay money in whenever we want to."

"I take it you didn't know anything about this?"

"What do you think, Scully? The first I knew of it was when the pass book turned up."

Scully rested her hand on his forearm. "Her heart's in the right place, Mulder," she said softly. "She's trying so hard to do the right thing with Sarah."

"I know, Scully," Mulder sighed. "I'm really pleased that she's taking so much interest in Sarah... I just wish she'd discussed it with me first."

"She probably knew you'd object."

"Only about the amount of money she put into the account. The way things are going, Sarah will be wealthier than I am."

"Well, I know you said that you'd opened up an account for Sarah when she was born..."

"That's right - it's to help towards her college fees more than anything. I felt it was the least I could do in view of the fact that Annie wouldn't take any child support from me. Sarah also has some money from Annie's estate that's held in trust until she's twenty one. That's in addition to the savings account that Annie had for her."

"Look at it this way, Mulder - if, God forbid, anything ever happens to you, at least Sarah will be taken care of financially."

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

"So stop worrying about it. This is Sarah's day, and her first birthday without her mother - it's up to us to make it extra special for her."

Mulder left work early to collect Sarah from school. He didn't do it very often, but today he wanted to make an exception, and spend a little time with his daughter before they went out in the evening. Sarah had decided that she wanted to go out to dinner for her birthday - to the restaurant 'with tablecloths.' Mulder hadn't thought that a very good idea, but had refrained from saying so. He wasn't sure that he could show his face there again after their last visit, even though Sarah was now over that traumatic period in her life. In the event, Sarah had changed her mind, and opted for a Chinese meal instead.

That afternoon, Scully had been called to Quantico unexpectedly, but would be joining them later. The intervening hours gave Mulder and his daughter time to play together. "No, Daddy - you have to lie still!" insisted Sarah firmly. "You have a broken leg and I have to fix it!"

"Sorry - I forgot," replied Mulder, as Sarah placed the end of the toy stethoscope she'd received at Christmas against his chest and listened intently. "Will I live?"

"Sshh!" hissed Sarah, frowning in concentration. "I have to listen to your heart." Scully let herself into Mulder's apartment, to see him stretched out on the couch, a tea towel wrapped around his calf, and Sarah bending over him, listening to his chest.

"What's going on here?" she asked, coming across to take a look.

Sarah looked up at her. "Daddy's broken his leg, and I have to fix it."

Scully inspected Mulder's "broken leg," seeing a wooden spoon held in place against his calf by the tea towel. Presumably that served as a splint. "I put a bandage on it, and now I'm listening to his heart," Sarah informed her.

"Does he have one?" asked Scully drily, her voice low enough so that the child wouldn't hear it.

"I heard that, Scully!" pouted Mulder.

"Be quiet, Daddy! I can't hear your heart!" cried Sarah, her brow wrinkled in annoyance.

"I'll say one thing, Scully - I prefer your bedside manner over my daughter's any day," declared Mulder. "She's done nothing but yell at me!"

"Maybe that's because you're such an awkward patient!" replied Scully in amusement. "And you're speaking from experience, of course!"

"Of course!" grinned Scully. She took another look at Sarah's handiwork - the child had made a good job of splinting and bandaging Mulder's leg. "I'm very impressed by your medical skills, Sarah - did you do this yourself? I think you'd make an excellent doctor."

Sarah looked absolutely delighted at Scully's praise. On the couch, Mulder coughed. "I hate to break up this medical consultation, but we should be getting ready to go out. Sweetheart, go and wash your face and hands. I've laid out your clothes on the bed."

Sarah skipped off to the bathroom. Mulder sat up, took off his "bandage" and rubbed his leg vigorously. "I think Sarah was a little over enthusiastic with the bandaging... I think she cut off the circulation!"

Scully chuckled. "You're such a baby sometimes, Mulder... here, let me do that for you." Scully massaged his calf gently.

"Oh, that's nice, Scully. Could you go a little higher?" He leered at her, and jiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"In your dreams, Mulder," laughed Scully.

"How did you know what I dream about, Scully?" His grin stretched from ear to ear.

"I think I've been around you long enough to know what goes on inside that head of yours, Mulder." She patted his calf. "There - how does that feel?"

"Much better, thank you." A slow smile spread across his face. "What?"

"Nothing!"

"Mulder, I know that look... spit it out."

"Well, I was just thinking, Scully... if you ever get fed up with doctoring, you might think about becoming a masseuse. You've got great hands..." Mulder didn't even have time to duck before the cushion hit him.

Scully hadn't had time to go home and change, so she felt very formal beside Mulder and Sarah in her navy business suit. Mulder had changed into casual slacks and shirt, and Sarah was wearing the new blouse she had received from Granny Page, and a lightweight, flower patterned skirt. Her hair was caught up at the sides by two pretty floral clips, and she was wearing her locket. "I like your hairclips, Sarah. Where did you get them from?" asked Scully, as they waited to be shown to their table.

"Mommy gave them to me for my birthday last year," replied the child.

"They're very pretty. They match your blouse and skirt perfectly. Oh, here comes the waiter. I think our table's ready."

While they waited for the food to arrive, Mulder proposed a little celebratory toast. "Sarah, this is a very special day for you today." It was a special day for him, too - the first time in the seven years of his daughter's existence that he had ever spent a birthday with her. "I just want to wish you a very happy birthday, sweetheart."

"Happy birthday, Sarah," echoed Scully.

Sarah took a mouthful of fruit juice as Mulder and Scully sipped their wine. The food began to arrive, and Mulder rubbed his hands together. "Mmm - this smells delicious." He began by spooning some rice into Sarah's bowl, then some noodles, vegetables and finally a little chicken and cashew nuts. That was her favorite Chinese dish. Usually, Mulder had to fight her for the nuts - she loved them, and if he wasn't careful, she'd pick every last one out of the carton when they had takeout.

Sarah tugged on her father's sleeve, and pulled him down, whispering in his ear. He nodded when she finished speaking. "Sarah wants to show you something, Scully."

Sarah picked up her chopsticks and placed them in her fingers. She looked over at Scully, to make sure that she was watching, then, with a deft and expert touch, Sarah picked up a piece of chicken, popped it into her mouth, and chewed, a big smile on her face.

"Well, I'm very impressed, Sarah," declared Scully. "You must have been practicing."

Last time they'd had Chinese, Sarah had used a fork and a spoon.

"I have," replied Sarah proudly. "Daddy showed me how to use the chopsticks, and I've been practicing at home every day." Scully could well believe that - the child tackled every new challenge with enthusiasm. It was something she must have inherited from her father - the need to be the best at whatever she did.

"Would you believe it, Scully - Sarah had me cut up every meal into small pieces so that she could practice?" chuckled Mulder.

"Daddy wouldn't let me practice on my cereal," complained Sarah, and Scully chuckled as she thought of the little girl struggling to pick up her cornflakes one by one.

"Sweetheart, we would have been there all day otherwise." Mulder pressed his lips to Sarah's silky hair, his arm around her small shoulders. "Now, you don't want all that hard work to go to waste, do you, so hurry up and eat your food before it gets cold."

Sarah ate with as good an appetite as the adults, and soon all the food had disappeared. She looked up at her father and asked politely if she could have some ice cream for dessert.

"If you like, sweetheart. Scully - would you like dessert?"

"I'm fine, Mulder. I'll just have coffee, thank you." Mulder and Scully talked about inconsequential matters over their coffee, while Sarah worked her way through a small serving of her favorite chocolate ice cream. When she'd finished, she set the spoon in the dish and sat back in her seat, her hands folded daintily across her tummy.

"I'm full now, Daddy. I couldn't eat another thing," she declared.

Scully chuckled and Mulder said, "I'm not surprised, Sarah. If you ate any more, you'd go 'pop!'"

After Mulder had settled their check, they headed for home. Scully had to pick up her car - she'd left it at the Mulder residence that morning. Due to her unscheduled visit to Quantico that afternoon, she'd had to borrow a pool car, which Mulder would return the next day. "Sweetheart, you should get ready for bed," said Mulder when they reached the apartment. "Go wash your face over and clean your teeth."

"Can I show Dana my glow in the dark stars?" asked the little girl.

"When you've washed up and changed into your night clothes," answered her father. Sarah trotted off to the bathroom, and Mulder slipped into her bedroom to switch on the light. "Can I get you another coffee, Scully?"

"No thanks - I should be going soon. It's been a long day."

"Yeah - you must be tired. Thanks for taking the time to celebrate with us - I really appreciate it, and I know that Sarah does, too." His arms went around her, his hands stroking gently up and down her back. He pressed his lips to her brow.

"I wouldn't have missed it for anything, Mulder." Scully nestled in against him, inhaling deeply; drinking in that unique, indefinable essence that was Mulder.

"You okay there, Scully?" Mulder asked softly. He pulled back a little, wanting to make sure that she was all right - she hadn't made a sound for the past few minutes.

"I'm fine, Mulder." She gently pulled him back to her. "Snug as a bug in a rug." Scully felt her partner's soft chuckle rumble in his chest.

"That's all right then. Just so long as I know." He kissed the top of her head.

"You want to try that a little lower, Mulder? Say about here?" Scully lightly tapped a slim fingertip against her lips.

"Now there's an offer I can't refuse." His voice was soft, his eyes crinkled at the corners.

"You won't get a better one, Mulder."

"Then I'd better not waste any time." The tips of his fingers brushed the sides of her face, then he took it between his hands, tilting it upwards and tenderly bringing his lips to hers. Scully's arms wrapped around him again, her fingers stroking slowly over his back as the kiss deepened and lengthened. Eventually, they had to surface for air.

"Wow." Mulder's cheek rested against Scully's hair as he caught his breath. "You're some kisser, Scully." He heard a soft chuckle from below. "Now you know what you've been missing all this time."

She looked up at him, her blue eyes shining. "You're not such a bad kisser yourself, Mulder."

"How would you rate me on a scale of one to ten?" he asked with a grin.

There was a sharp intake of breath, then, "Oh, now let me see... I think you rate nine and three quarters."

"Room for improvement, huh?" Scully nodded, unable to contain her amusement. "Well, I'd better get on to it. You know what they say, Scully - practice makes perfect." Scully's laughter was silenced as his mouth covered hers.

Sarah reappeared, dressed in her pajamas and smelling of soap and toothpaste. She jumped up into her father's arms and wrapped her arms around his neck, her long legs snaking around his waist. "Ooh, Sarah - you're getting too heavy. It must have been all that food you ate!" chuckled Mulder, pretending to stagger under her weight. He was thankful that she had a good appetite - there wasn't much that Sarah didn't like, or wouldn't eat.

Sarah hugged her father. "Can I show Dana my stars now, Daddy?"

"Come on then." All three headed for Sarah's little bedroom. Mulder reached in and switched off the light, then they went through the door.

Sarah looked up at the ceiling, and her eyes grew wide. "Daddy, look!" She pointed upwards, at all the stars that were glowing above her. "It's like heaven!"

"It's wonderful, Sarah," said Scully. She took Sarah's warm little hand in hers, and enjoyed the look of wonder on the child's face, giving silent thanks for being allowed to share this moment. She waited a minute or two longer, then said, "Mulder, I should be going."

"Can't you stay a bit longer?" pleaded Sarah. "Daddy, Dana can stay, can't she?"

"Dana can stay as long as she wants, but I think she's tired. She's had a long day. We should let her go home and get some sleep. You'll see her again on Saturday, at your party."

"You won't forget to make the brownies, will you?" asked Sarah, her expression anxious.

"No, I won't forget to make the brownies," chuckled Scully. Father and daughter escorted Scully to the door to say goodbye. Sarah and Scully exchanged a hug and a kiss, and the little girl thanked her again for her birthday presents, and for celebrating with them. There was also a kiss for Scully from Mulder, and then she was gone. Mulder carried Sarah back into her bedroom and laid her in her bed, pulling the covers over her.

He sat down beside her on the mattress, and smoothed the hair from her brow. "So, did you have a good birthday?" he asked softly.

"Yes, thank you, Daddy."

"Good, I'm glad."

Sarah was quiet for a moment. "I miss Mommy." His daughter's huge dark eyes looked up at him, and his heart weighed heavily.

Mulder caressed her face gently. "I know, sweetheart, but you know what, Sarah... I think Mommy would want you to have a happy birthday, and not be sad." He leaned over and pressed his lips to her forehead.

"Do you think Mommy would like my stars?"

Mulder smiled. "Yes, I think she'd like your stars."

"Does she know about my party?"

"Oh, I'm sure she knows about your party, sweetheart, and she'd want you to have a good time." He stroked her hair, soothing himself as much as Sarah. "Mommy loved you very much, Sarah... I'm sure she's always with you, watching over you, taking care of you."

"Even when I'm asleep?"

"Even when you're asleep," replied Mulder.

He waited while Sarah digested that. "I love you, Daddy." Sarah reached up and looped her arms around his neck.

Mulder held her tight, squeezing his eyes tight shut to stop the tears from falling. "I love you, too, sweetheart." He kissed her cheek. "Go to sleep now. I'll see you in the morning." He sat beside her for a little longer, then made his way into the living room, wiping the tears from his eyes.

Saturday soon rolled around. Mulder and Sarah presented themselves at Mrs. Scully's house at the appointed hour to begin the party preparations. Scully, of course, was already there. "So, Mulder, raring to go?" grinned Scully. She was pleased to see that he had taken her advice and dressed down for the occasion, wearing jeans and a heather grey t-shirt. And he still managed to look damn good.

"I wouldn't say 'raring' exactly," he replied, with a worried expression on his face. He leaned in and whispered, so that Sarah wouldn't hear, "Do you think it's too late to cancel?"

Scully chuckled, patting his wrist. "Stop worrying, Mulder - it'll be fine." This time she leaned in to say softly, "Did you bring your toothbrush?"

"Right here." With a grin and a flourish, Mulder pulled it out of his back pocket. Scully's face wrinkled into an expression of distaste at the sight of the greying, frayed and tattered bristles.

"Mulder, surely you don't use that, that... thing to clean your teeth? What on earth have you been doing with it? Scrubbing the grout between the bathroom tiles? Please tell me it hasn't been anywhere near your mouth recently."

"Only this morning, Scully," replied Mulder, in all innocence. He swore she nearly turned green, and he couldn't keep a straight face any longer. He burst out laughing and could almost see her dashing for the mouthwash. The expression on her face had been a picture.

"What's so funny, Mulder? Is this one of your jokes?" Mulder finally contained his laughter long enough to reveal, "This is just an old toothbrush I use to clean my gun. My regular brush is in the toiletry bag."

Scully heaved a sigh of relief. "You don't know how glad I am to hear that, Mulder. Come on, let's unload your car."

The three of them trooped out to the street. Mulder handed Scully two bags full of party paraphernalia - color coordinated paper plates, cups and napkins; balloons, party bags and the bits and pieces to go inside them, amongst other things. "What can I take, Daddy?" asked Sarah.

"Why don't you take your dress and hang it up somewhere?"

"You can hang it in your room, Sarah," said Scully.

When the little girl stayed with Mrs. Scully, she slept in what had once been Scully's room, but it had quickly become known as Sarah's room. The little girl scampered off, carrying her party dress, which was zipped up inside a small garment bag.

"She's so excited about this party, Scully," said Mulder as he watched his daughter dash into the house. He picked up a box and started to walk up the path, Scully at his side. "I didn't think she was going to go to sleep last night. After I put her to bed, she kept calling out and asking me questions - did I have this, did I have that; did I remember to get chocolate ice cream... I wouldn't have minded her asking so much except that she there when we bought everything!"

"What did you do?" laughed Scully.

"In the end I had to go in and instruct her, in no uncertain terms, to go to sleep."

"You didn't yell at her, I hope - she's just excited, as is to be expected. It's the first party Sarah's ever had where you'll be present."

"Of course I didn't yell at her, Scully. I just firmly pointed out that if she didn't go to sleep, she'd be too tired to enjoy the party. That seemed to do the trick - I didn't hear another peep out of her."

They dumped the bits and pieces on the kitchen table just as Sarah reappeared. "I'll go and bring something else in, Daddy," said Sarah.

She was rushing off as her father called, "Wait, Sarah! I don't want you to go out into the street on your own." He was too late - she was already flying down the path on her long legs.

"She'll be all right, Mulder," said Scully. "Sarah's only going to the car."

"Maybe, but..." He was edging towards the hallway. "I'll just keep an eye out from the door."

Sarah came back carrying her shoes and another small bag of accessories. "Our bag is still in the car, Daddy."

"Okay, I'll go and get it in just a moment."

"Can I show Dana my party dress?"

"Well, how about we keep it as a surprise for later?"

"All right. I'll take my shoes up to my room." With that, she was gone again.

After the car had been unloaded, they sat down to refreshments - coffee for Mulder and Scully, the usual glass of chocolate milk and a couple of cookies for Sarah.

"When can I put my party dress on?" asked the little girl.

"Not yet," answered her father. "You can get ready later. Anyway, I thought you wanted to help me and Dana prepare the food. You can't do that with your party dress on - you might spoil it."

Sarah thought about that for a moment and decided that her father was right. "When can we start preparing the food, Dana?"

Scully chuckled. "In a while. Let's finish our drinks and have a little rest first - it's going to be a busy afternoon." Sarah munched on a cookie. "Did you make the brownies, Dana?" she asked anxiously.

"Yes, Sarah, I made the brownies," answered Scully patiently.

"I told everyone that your brownies are the best." Scully ran her hand over the child's shiny mane.

"Well, thank you, sweetheart. I made plenty so there'll be enough for everyone."

"I'm glad to hear that, Scully," chipped in Mulder, with a grin. "I didn't say I'd made any for you, Mulder." Scully's face took on an impish expression when she saw his face fall. "I hope you're not serious, Scully."

"You'll have to wait and see, won't you?"

The food preparations were soon in full swing, with Scully in command. She started by cooking a couple of pizzas, that would be cut into small squares once they had cooled down. Scully had set Mulder and his daughter the task of making a cheese hedgehog. He had already wrapped a large potato with aluminum foil and the idea was to place cocktail sticks speared with a cube of cheese and a cube of pineapple into the potato. Mulder set to work cutting up a hunk of cheese and Sarah drained a large can of pineapple chunks. They made a good team, at first - Sarah impaled a chunk of pineapple onto a cocktail stick then passed it to her father to add the cheese, but for every cube of cheese and pineapple that Mulder speared, another went into his mouth.

"Daddy! You're eating all the food!" exclaimed Sarah indignantly. She turned to Scully, who was making sandwiches. "Dana, tell Daddy to stop it!"

"Tattle tell!" Mulder said with a grin, but it was soon wiped off when Scully slapped his hands away.

"Stop that, Mulder!" she admonished.

"What?" He gave her an injured look. "I'm hungry."

"So will those kids be if you keep eating all their food! I know you like sampling the goods, but aren't you taking it to extremes? This food is for the guests."

"You mean to tell me that after all this hard work, I won't get to taste any of it?" he asked in disbelief.

"If there's anything left over, you might be able to scrape together a doggy bag to take home," replied Scully, trying not to laugh out loud at his outraged expression. Mumbling and grumbling under his breath, much to Sarah and Scully's amusement, a chastened Mulder went back to the task in hand.

The spread was starting to look impressive. As well as the cheese hedgehog and the pizza squares, there were small ham sandwiches, with the crusts removed; tiny sausages on sticks, chicken nuggets, bread sticks and a dish of vegetable crudités with a dip. "Do you think that's fancy enough for a party?" asked Mulder, indicating the raw veggies and dip. "Do you think they'll eat that?"

"I think so, Mulder - my nephews love it. Kids love trying something new. And besides," said Scully, leaning in towards him with a grin, "we don't all share your appalling taste in food." She had to side step smartly as he went to prod her with a broken bread stick that he was about to devour, rather than see it go to waste. Scully handed Sarah a large bag of sour cream and chive potato chips. "Sweetie, could you put these in that bowl there, please? And your daddy can put these chips in that blue bowl just there." Scully handed Mulder a large bag of plain, salted chips. The brownies went onto the table, along with another smaller plate of cakes. Everything had been covered in cling wrap to keep it fresh until they were ready to eat. "Where's the Jell-O, Dana?" asked Sarah. "Is it strawberry?"

"In the fridge. And yes, it's strawberry," answered Scully. Mulder pulled open the fridge door and removed a plate. On it sat the Jell-O, now free of its decorative mold.

He shook the plate a little, making the Jell-O wobble. "Look at this Sarah... the Jell-O's scared! See how much it's shaking!"

"No it isn't, Daddy!" giggled Sarah. "You're moving the plate!" The little girl wasn't fooled for a moment. Scully shook her head. He was incorrigible. "Put it back, Mulder, before you drop it." The Jell-O safely back in the fridge, Mulder cast his eye over the table.

"Where's the birthday cake, Scully?" he asked in a worried voice. "I thought it would be here by now."

"It'll be here, Mulder, don't worry." Scully had already saved a space on the table so that the birthday cake would have pride of place. They stood back to admire their handiwork.

"It's an impressive spread, Scully, I'll say that," declared Mulder, his arm draped casually around her shoulders. "I can't thank you enough - I don't think I could have handled all this on my own." He leaned down, tilted her face towards him and kissed her mouth.

"Thank you Mulder. You're welcome."

"We've enough here to feed an army, Scully. Are they really going to eat all this?"

"Mulder, you'd be surprised at just how much kids can put away," answered Scully knowledgeably. "Now, did you bring a pump for the balloons? You can be getting on with that while I sort out the plates and napkins, etcetera."

Mulder pulled an agonized face. "Damn! I knew I'd forgotten something."

"Does that mean I can't have any balloons, Daddy?" Sarah's little face fell.

"Don't panic, you two - I'm sure my mom has one around here somewhere." Scully headed off, returning a few moments later with a small pump, which she handed to Mulder. "There you go."

"Your mom is a lifesaver, Scully. Remind me to give her a kiss when I next see her!"

"Where did Sarah go?" asked Mulder, suddenly realizing that the little girl had been gone for some time.

"She went to the bathroom, didn't she?" replied Scully.

Mulder went out into the hall, stood at the bottom of the stairs and called her name. No reply. He called again. Suddenly Mulder felt as if a hand had wrapped itself around his throat and was choking him. He set his foot on the first tread just as his daughter appeared at the top of the stairs. He'd never seen a more welcome sight. "Sarah! Where have you been? I've been calling you." Mulder tried not to sound too panic stricken and worried. The child bounded down the stairs, oblivious to her father's concern.

"I was looking for places to hide. Dana said we might be able to play hide and seek later." As she neared the bottom she cried out, "Catch me, Daddy!"

"Oh, Sarah!" Mulder caught her as she leapt into his arms four steps from the bottom of the staircase, wrapping his arms around her and holding her tight.

"Mulder, what's going on?" asked Scully, coming to find out where they'd both got to.

"Nothing, Scully. It's okay. I just... I over reacted." He caressed Sarah's hair. "Everything's fine now."

"Well, we should hang these balloons. Time's getting on." Mulder and Scully hung the pink and white balloons in clusters around the kitchen and living room. Scully had already pushed her mother's furniture back to make space for games and removed any breakable objects from the mantel and the end tables.

Mulder was chasing his daughter around the living room, much to her delight. "You..." he said, finally catching Sarah and sweeping her up into his arms, "... are far too cheeky for such a little girl!"

"I'm not a little girl!" replied Sarah indignantly. "I'm seven!"

"So, you think you're all grown up now, do you?" Mulder whirled her around and around, laughing happily, then collapsed onto Mrs. Scully's sofa with his daughter still in his grasp. Sarah squealed and giggled, and it gave Scully such a warm feeling to see father and daughter together - she relished these moments of unbridled happiness from her partner. Mulder had so much love to give, yet felt he could never give Sarah enough, as he'd confided to Scully in one of his periodic moments of self-doubt.

"Mulder, I think Sarah should start getting ready. You and I can finish off down here." Scully hated to break up such a joyous moment.

"Will you help me with my buttons, Dana?" asked Sarah, slipping out of her father's arms.

"Of course. Just call me when you're ready." The little girl scampered off as Scully watched her from the bottom of the stairs.

As soon as she was out of sight, Scully went back into the living room and pulled something out from behind the sofa. "Help me unfurl this banner, Mulder."

"Where did you get this, Scully?" asked Mulder, as the banner unraveled.

"I know a place that makes them to order. You hang around kids long enough and you get to know these things." They strung it across the chimney breast, then stood back to make sure that it was straight.

"Oh, she'll love that, Scully." Mulder smiled. There was a ring at the doorbell. "Who's that? It's too early for the guests to begin arriving."

"I'll go," said Scully. She came back a few moments later. "The cake's arrived. I'll put it on the table." Mulder followed her out to the kitchen and held the box as she lifted the cake out. Scully set it in the center of the table. "It's a lovely cake, Mulder. Sarah's going to be thrilled with it. It's just what she asked for."

"I hope so, Scully." He gave a deep sigh.

"I should have brought a camera with me. I don't know why I didn't think of it." Scully took his hand and squeezed it. "Fear not, Mulder. I've got it covered." Mulder took her face in his hands and kissed her briefly on the lips.

"Scully, you're a genius. What would I do without you?"

"What about the party bags, Scully?"

"You could make a start on those while I'm seeing to Sarah," suggested Scully.

Right on cue, the little girl called for Scully's assistance. "I'm coming, sweetheart." Scully ran up the stairs, tapped on the door to her old room then went in. Sarah was almost ready - she just needed someone to button up the back of her dress for her. That done, Scully brushed the little girl's hair and arranged it around her shoulders. "Let me look at you, Sarah." Scully took a step back. "Oh, sweetheart, you look so pretty!"

Sarah beamed. "Can I show Daddy now?"

"Yes, go on," chuckled Scully. "But no running down the stairs. When you wear a pretty dress, it's much more ladylike to stand up straight and walk down slowly."

"Show me, Dana?" asked Sarah.

"Well, you take hold of the banister and you walk like this, nice and slow." Sarah was rapt as she watched Scully's demonstration of deportment. "Like this?" she asked eagerly, then proceeded to give her own demonstration. "That's right - excellent. Shall we go?"

"Dana, ask Daddy to watch me walk down the stairs." Sarah was eager to show her father this new found skill. Scully ran down the stairs and told Mulder that Sarah had something to show him. "What might that be, Scully?"

"A quick lesson in deportment," answered Scully. "She wants to make a grand entrance."

"I'd better not miss it, then." Mulder left the party bags, followed Scully out into the hall and stood at the bottom of the stairs. Sarah called out, "Is Daddy there yet?"

"I'm here," answered Mulder.

Then Sarah was at the top of the stairs. She took hold of the wooden rail and made her way down, her head held high, each step measured and sure. Her father waited at the bottom, and as she neared him, he held out his arm. "Who is this beautiful, elegant young lady?" he asked in wonder. "Is this my birthday girl?" Sarah was a picture in her deep fuchsia pink dress, with its dainty lace collar and smocking across the chest, her hair tumbling over her shoulders in thick, glossy waves. She had a matching barrette for her hair, and shiny black patent shoes on her feet. Mulder had treated her to the new outfit especially for the party. He gazed at her now, his heart so full of love for his daughter that it was fit to burst. What a difference she had made to his life in such a short time.

Sarah flushed with pleasure and pride at her father's words, while Scully hurried off in search of the camera. She came back, clutching it in her hand. "Hold that pose, you two - I want to take your picture." Scully took aim. "Okay, say 'cheese.'" She heard the word spoken in unison as she fired the shutter, capturing the moment for posterity.

"What time is it, Daddy? Is my cake here yet? When will my friends be here?"

"Goodness, Sarah, so many questions!" chuckled Mulder. "It's three thirty, and your friends should start arriving at four - that's the time we specified on the invitations."

"What about my cake?"

"It's in the kitchen."

"Can I see it?" Sarah was poised to hare off to the kitchen, but Mulder caught her by the shoulders. "Not so fast, sweetheart. We have another surprise for you first." Sarah's face lit up.

"Where, Daddy?" she asked eagerly.

"Ah, you have to close your eyes," her father declared. "Are they closed?" The little girl nodded. "Are you sure?" Sarah nodded again. "Okay - no peeping. Here we go." Mulder propelled her gently by the shoulders into the living room. "All right - you can open your eyes now."

Sarah did as instructed and saw the shiny silver banner with its huge greeting of HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SARAH in red lettering. Her face lit up in delight. "Do you like it, Sarah?" asked Mulder. "Dana had it made specially for you."

"Can I take it home with me after the party?" Sarah looked up at Scully.

Mulder also glanced at his partner and smiled. "I guess that means she likes it."

"Yes, you may take it home with you," answered Scully, as she primped the little girl's hair with her fingers.

"Good idea - we can recycle it year after year," declared Mulder, receiving a dig in the ribs from Scully for his trouble. "So, sweetheart, I think a big 'thank you' is in order, don't you?"

Sarah threw her arms around Scully's waist and hugged her tightly. "Thank you, Dana."

"You're very welcome, sweetheart," answered Scully, hugging the child back and dropping a kiss onto her soft hair. "Now come and see your cake." Sarah practically dragged Scully to the kitchen. The cake rested in pride of place on the table, and Sarah was thrilled with it. Again, it bore the legend 'Happy Birthday, Sarah,' written in pink icing to match the roses that adorned each corner of the square cake. "It's just what I wanted, Daddy."

"Good - I'm glad you like it. I'm sure it'll taste as good as it looks." Mulder glanced at the kitchen clock. "Your guests will be arriving soon, so why don't you go and watch for them at the window while Dana and I finish up out here?"

"Okay." With that, Sarah skipped out, leaving the adults to finish off the party bags and see to last minute bits and pieces. "Scully, could you just remind me of the timetable again?" asked Mulder. Scully chuckled. "It's not a timetable as such, Mulder. I just thought that we'd have the more energetic games before the kids eat and the quieter games afterwards. They'll all be excited, rushing around, getting hot and bothered and there's a danger that they might make themselves sick if they do that after eating."

"You've obviously done this before, Scully," grinned Mulder, stuffing an uninflated red balloon into the last party bag. "Once or twice," she replied with a smile.

"Well, it seems like an eminently sensible idea to me." He didn't relish the thought of clearing up after a horde of sick kids. "You know, Scully - I'm dazzled by your brilliance." He suddenly pulled her to him and kissed her smack on the lips.

Scully giggled and swatted at him. "Oh, Mulder!"

"What?"

"I don't know, you're..." Scully shrugged, not knowing how to sum up this lovable man.

"I'm what, Scully?"

"Crazy!"

"You've only just discovered that? And you call yourself an investigator?" He gave her that grin again and she swatted him with a tea towel. He reached for her once more, and leaned back against the counter, his arms around her. Scully leaned on him, feeling the softness of his t-shirt beneath her cheek. "This is nice, Scully." Mulder let out a soft sigh of contentment.

"Mmm... the calm before the storm," she replied. His chuckle reverberated deep in his chest.

"You know, Scully - I've just realized why you're the perfect woman for me."

"Oh? And why is that?"

"Well, you fit so neatly beneath my chin." He grinned above her.

"May I take this opportunity to remind you how handy I am with a scalpel, Mulder?" Scully's mouth turned up into a smile, which he couldn't see, and another of his chuckles vibrated against her cheek. "I could make mincemeat out of you in minutes."

"Ouch."

"Precisely." They continued holding one another for a while longer until the peace and tranquility was shattered by Sarah calling out, "Vanessa's here!" The little girl ran into the kitchen. "Daddy, Vanessa's here."

"Okay, sweetheart - we'll be right there." Without bothering to wait for her father or Scully, Sarah ran off to open the front door.

"Well, this is it, Mulder. Are you ready for the fray?" asked Scully, one arm around his waist and her other hand resting against his chest.

"As ready as I'll ever be, I guess." He dropped a kiss on the top of her head and gave her a squeeze. "Come on - let's do it."

Vanessa stood at the door with her foster father. Mulder had only ever met Bob Castle twice before. "Hello, Vanessa - we're glad you could make it," said Mulder, smiling.

The two men shook hands and Mulder introduced Scully. The adults exchanged pleasantries briefly before Mr. Castle took his leave, telling the two little girls that he hoped they had a good time and reminding Vanessa that he'd be back at seven o'clock to collect her.

"You look very nice, Vanessa," commented Mulder as he closed the door, noticing that she was wearing a new dress and that an attempt had been made to style her hair.

"Thank you," answered the young girl shyly. Her eyes shone at this unexpected compliment.

"Come and see my banner, Vanessa." Sarah took her friend's hand and led her into Mrs. Scully's living room, pointing to the banner. "Look - Dana had it made specially for me." Sarah allowed Vanessa no more than moments to look at it. "Now come and see my birthday cake."

Mulder saw that Vanessa was clutching what looked like a birthday card and gift. "Why don't you show Vanessa in a minute, sweetheart? I think she has something for you."

Vanessa handed over the items, and Sarah opened the card first. It was a Disney character card, and Vanessa herself had written the message inside, wishing Sarah a happy birthday. Next, Sarah opened the gift, which was wrapped in pretty floral paper, and found two dainty cotton handkerchiefs, edged with lace and embroidered with Sarah's initial in pale lilac silk thread. "I chose them myself," revealed Vanessa shyly. "I know you like pretty things."

"Thank you, Vanessa - they're lovely. Look, Daddy!" Sarah ran to show her father. "Very pretty, sweetheart. You should keep them for best." Mulder handed them to Scully, who also made admiring noises, then laid them to one side. She'd keep any gifts safe until Sarah went home the next day. Sarah looked up at her father. "Can I show Vanessa my cake now?"

"All right," said Mulder, relenting with an affectionate smile. Sarah took her friend off to the kitchen and showed her the cake and the food. She opened the fridge door and proudly indicated the cheese and pineapple hedgehog. "Daddy and me made that together. He did the cheese and I did the pineapple, but Daddy kept on eating it and Dana had to tell him off."

The two little girls were giggling over Mulder's misfortune when they heard him calling for his daughter. Another of her guests was coming up the path. Sarah and her father went to the door. It was Carla and Mrs. Vanderhelm. "We're not too late, are we?" asked Mrs. Vanderhelm anxiously. "We left in plenty of time but there was an accident and the traffic was slowed right down. To be honest, I didn't think we'd get here at all."

"You're in good time," answered Mulder, with a smile. "Vanessa's here and we're waiting for the others to arrive."

Carla inched closer to her mother. "Carla's a little shy," said Mrs. Vanderhelm softly, running a hand over her daughter's blonde hair. "That's okay."

Mulder smiled, then he lowered himself until he was at eye level with the child. "Hi, Carla - my name's Fox, and I'm Sarah's daddy."

"Hello," said a little voice in reply. Carla was small and dainty in comparison to Sarah and her other friends.

At that moment, Sarah cried, "Here's Darryl." He was followed in quick succession by Bobby Connor and Lucy. All were made welcome and introduced to Scully, who had decided that it would be far easier if the children called her Dana. Another ring sounded at the door.

"Sarah, I think you have another guest!" called Scully. The little girl ran to her, and together they went to see who it was.

"Hello! You must be Mrs. Mulder!" gushed the woman standing before them.

"Well, actually..." began Scully, but she didn't get any further.

"I'm so pleased to meet you at last! I'm Lynn Perkins." She thrust out her hand.

"Dana Scully."

"Ah - you kept your maiden name," said Lynn, as the two women shook hands. "I suppose that makes it easier professionally." Scully opened her mouth to correct the woman's erroneous notions, then thought better of it. There was a party to get underway. Instead she turned to the little titian haired girl at Lynn's side. "And you must be Cindy. I'm Dana, and I'm very pleased to meet you." At long last, the guests were assembled. All their cards had been opened and were now displayed on the mantel - the gifts had been put to one side to be opened a little later. It was time to start the fun and games.

Mulder stood in the middle of Mrs. Scully's living room, the children clustered around him. He was like the ringmaster at a circus. "Okay, everybody - who's for a treasure hunt?" he asked. A deafening chorus of seven voices came back at him crying, "Me!"

"All right! Dana will hand you each a little bowl to collect your treasure in. She's hidden gold and silver covered chocolate coins in various places throughout the downstairs rooms and on the patio. Whoever finds the most coins wins the prize."

"Does the winner get to keep their coins?" asked Bobby.

"Everyone gets to keep their coins," replied Mulder, smiling. Scully handed each child a small plastic dessert bowl from her mother's picnic set - yet another stroke of the Scully genius, according to Mulder. "Okay, does everyone have a bowl?" Each child nodded. "You have ten minutes to find as many coins as you can. Off you go."

He had to hop out of the way smartly to avoid being trampled in the rush. The children headed off in all directions, Sarah and Vanessa making for the patio. Scully had made sure that the coins would be easy to find, and sure enough, they soon heard, "I've found one!" from the direction of the dining room. "Do you think we should circulate, Scully?" asked Mulder after some minutes had passed.

"No, they'll be all right," answered Scully.

"Okay." As he was new to all this, he'd be guided by her greater experience. "How many coins did you hide, anyway?"

"Thirty five. Five coins per child. I doubt they'll all end up with an equal number, though." At that moment, Sarah appeared. Various children had buzzed in and out already; some had been lucky and found a coin, some hadn't.

"How're you doing, sweetheart?" asked her father. "I found three already, Daddy," replied Sarah as she searched the living room. "Vanessa has four." She pushed aside the drape at the window. "I found another one!" She picked the chocolate coin off the window sill and dropped it into her bowl triumphantly. "How much longer do we have, Daddy?"

"A few minutes yet. Did you look in the dining room?"

"I've been everywhere," answered the little girl. "Well, why don't you have another quick look, just to make sure you haven't missed any?" suggested Scully. With that, Sarah dashed off. "Mulder, we might as well start setting up for the next game."

"What about the treasure hunt, Scully?"

"Oh, the kids will be fine for a little while longer. You get the chairs while I set up the CD player." Mulder headed for the kitchen to collect a couple of chairs. As he went to grab two, he glanced at the table. "Scully!"

"What? What's the matter?" She came hurrying into the kitchen. "I think we have a mouse."

"What!? Where?" Scully looked around, horrified by the thought that her mother might have vermin. Mulder laughed. "Not that sort of mouse. I meant a human one. Look." He pointed to a plate of sandwiches. The cling wrap had been disturbed and then replaced, none too neatly; Scully's neat arrangement now had a visible gap where a sandwich had been removed. "What do you think we should do, Scully? Interrogate the suspects one by one?" He grinned at her. "No, Mulder. I think we should get these chairs set up."

"Whatever you say, Boss." Mulder hefted two of the kitchen chairs and took them through to the living room. "How many do you want?"

"I think five will do. Set them next to one another, facing in alternate directions." Mulder did as Scully instructed - which was easier said than done with the odd party guest flitting in and out looking for any remaining coins that might have been missed - then waited for her approval. Pronouncing herself satisfied with his efforts, Scully patted his wrist and said, "We'll make a party planner out of you yet, Mulder." She glanced at her watch. "I think we should call time on the treasure hunt."

"Okay." Mulder went out into the hall and yelled, "Time's up everyone. Bring your treasure in to be counted." Once more, he was almost knocked over in the rush. Scully was ready with a sheet of paper and a pen to write down each child's name and total of coins collected - she'd put the coins into the individual party bags later.

As Sarah was the birthday girl, her coins were counted first. She had four, and Scully duly noted this on her sheet of paper. The totals were varied but finally there was a winner. Mulder praised all the participants for doing well before stepping into MC mode once more. "Ladies and gentlemen..." at that the children all giggled, "... the winner of the treasure hunt is... Lucy!" Mulder and Scully applauded, then the children joined in. Scully presented Lucy with her candy bar prize, and then it was on to the next game.

Mulder had been looking forward to this one. He leaned in close to Scully and whispered, "Do you think they'd mind if I joined in?" Scully gave her partner an incredulous look, then burst out laughing. Mulder attempting "Musical Chairs" was something she'd love to see. "I don't know, Mulder - why don't you ask Sarah?"

"I will. Sarah, can I join in this game?"

The little girl looked as incredulous as Scully had. "You don't know how to play it, Daddy."

"Yes, I do. You have to circle the chairs while the music plays and then when it stops you have to sit down quickly. Anyone that doesn't have a chair is out. Each time the music stops, one chair is taken away, until there's only one chair left. Whoever sits on the last chair is the winner."

Scully tried to hide a smile. Mulder was something else, that was for sure.

Sarah didn't look too sure about her father joining in, but she acquiesced. "Okay, Daddy, but you mustn't cheat." She wagged her finger at him for extra emphasis on the point.

"I won't, I promise." Sarah didn't see the wink that headed in Scully's direction.

"All right - is everyone ready?" asked Scully.

The children positioned themselves around the chairs, poised for the moment the music started. "Okay... off you go." Scully pressed the 'play' button and a current pop song blared out of the speakers.

The party guests, the hostess and her father marched around the chairs, their eyes darting between the chairs and Scully, hoping to anticipate when the music would stop. And suddenly it stopped. There was a mad flurry for the chairs. Darryl, Lucy and Mulder were left standing, but Mulder promptly perched himself on the very edge of his daughter's knees, much to the amusement of the other children. He held on to the sides of the chair, ensuring that Sarah wasn't taking his full weight.

"This is a very comfortable seat," he announced. "Would anyone else like to try it?"

The children squealed with laughter and even Scully had to chuckle at his antics.

"Daddy, you're squashing my legs!" cried Sarah. "You cheated. You're out!"

She shoved him and he tumbled to the floor. Chastened, Mulder pouted, then hung his head and crawled away on his hands and knees, the children's shrieks of delight ringing in his ears. Scully restarted the music and Mulder quickly removed one of the chairs, then joined her by the CD player.

"So, Scully... what do you think?" He was grinning at her like a fool.

Scully was shaking her head and trying not to laugh. "I don't know, Mulder... if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I would never have believed it." She was seeing yet another side of her partner that she never knew existed, and Scully wondered whether, if it hadn't been for Sarah's entry into their lives, she would ever have been lucky enough to see these other facets of his character.

He draped an arm around her slim shoulders. "I'm just entering into the spirit of things, Scully." He still had that wide grin on his face.

"Oh, is that what you call it. I thought it was just an excuse for you to act the fool more than you usually do." She tilted her head and looked up at him out of the corner of her eye, wearing a lop sided smile.

Mulder made a face. "Isn't it time to stop the music?" he asked.

There was another flurry for the chairs and this time Vanessa was the one left out. She joined Darryl and Lucy on the sidelines to watch the others. The final contest was between Sarah and Bobby. Round and round they went, eyeing the last remaining chair, Dana, and each other.

The music stopped and by a hair's breadth, Sarah beat Bobby to the chair, practically throwing herself at it. "I won, Daddy! I won!" The little girl was overjoyed.

"So you did, sweetheart. Well done." Mulder couldn't have been more pleased.

"Can we play again?" Sarah was bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet in front of him.

"All right. Let me set the chairs up again. While I'm doing that, go and get your prize from Dana." Within a few moments, everything was set up for round two. "Are we all ready?" asked Mulder.

"You have to play too, Daddy." Sarah held out her hand to her father, his earlier bout of cheating now forgotten.

"Okay." Mulder took his place in the line. "Whenever you're ready, Scully." The music started and they were off again. "Don't you want to join in?" he called above the din.

"I'm fine where I am, Mulder," she replied. She was enjoying watching him as they played "Musical Chairs."

"Besides, someone has to work the CD player and take photographs." Mulder had completely forgotten that she'd been taking photos. "I hope you haven't taken any shots that might incriminate me." He grinned, as he marched around in a circle. Scully gave a Cheshire cat-like grin. "You'll have to wait and see, Mulder. I think I have one or two that might be considered compromising." Scully wished fervently that she had a video camera to capture Mulder's antics - photographs just wouldn't do him justice. "You wouldn't, Scully." Scully merely smiled beatifically, stopped the music and left him standing.

Once round two of "Musical Chairs" was over and Vanessa declared winner, it was time to eat. Mulder took the chairs back into the kitchen and replaced them around the table while Scully uncovered the food and took the cheese hedgehog and drinks from the fridge. Each place was already set with a paper plate, napkin, cup and spoon. Scully cast an eye over the table, just to make sure that nothing had been forgotten. "Okay, Mulder, I think we're all set. Would you like to call the kids?"

"Sure." Mulder stuck his head around the living room door. "Is everyone ready to eat?" A deafening reply in the affirmative made his ears ring, followed by the pounding of seven pairs of small feet. "I'm sitting next to Sarah!"

"No - I am!"

Mulder and Scully both turned at the sound of the raised voices, to see Bobby and Darryl glaring at one another. "Hey guys - what's going on?" asked Scully.

"I want to sit next to Sarah," pouted Bobby.

"So do I."

That from Darryl. The object of all the fuss, meanwhile, paid no heed whatsoever. She was deep in conversation with Vanessa. "Well, that's easily solved." Scully smiled. "Sarah can sit at the head of the table and you can sit one either side of her."

A few moments later, harmony reigned, and Mulder and Scully regrouped by the kitchen counter. "God, Scully - she's only seven years old and already the boys are fighting over her!" Mulder sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "What's it going to be like when she's in her teens? I'm telling you, Scully - my life is going to be a misery."

Scully laughed out loud. "Mulder, look at her - she's not even interested! There's only one man in her life, and that's you. Sarah adores you, and I don't think that will ever change."

"Yes it will, Scully. One day." Mulder cast a wistful look in his little girl's direction. "She'll meet someone and fall in love..."

Scully took his hand in hers. "That's a long way off, Mulder," she said softly. "A long way off." She reached up, kissed his cheek and squeezed his hand. "In the meantime, we have party guests to feed and water."

Mulder and Scully were the perfect hosts, handing around food, dispensing drinks and generally making sure that everyone had a full plate. There was sporadic conversation - the children were too busy eating to talk. "You were right about the veggies and dip, Scully. They're disappearing rapidly."

"You don't have to sound so surprised, Mulder. I told you that children like that sort of thing." In fact, everything was disappearing rapidly, much to Scully's satisfaction. She and Mulder had had to grab a modest plateful of food each before it all went completely. Mulder couldn't believe his eyes. "I'm beginning to think that these kids haven't eaten in a week, Scully. Either that, or they've all got hollow legs!"

"Well, I don't think any of them will be going home hungry, that's for sure." Scully set her plate to one side and quickly washed her hands before crossing to the fridge and retrieving the Jell-O. She set it on the counter then removed the ice cream from the freezer. In addition to Sarah's beloved chocolate, there was vanilla for those that might prefer a plain flavor.

"I'm ready for my Jell-O and ice cream now, Dana," announced Sarah.

"You mean you've still got some room left after all that food?" grinned her father. Sometimes he wondered where his daughter put it all, for she was only a slip of a thing. He guessed it was all in her genes, more specifically, those labelled 'Mulder.'

"I've always got room for Jell-O and ice cream, Daddy." Sarah's emphatic response made her father chuckle.

"Is everyone else ready for some dessert?" asked Scully, and she was nearly deafened by the various responses, which were all positive.

Mulder was busy clearing plates from the table when Carla tapped him on the arm. He dropped down beside her so that he was on her level and gave her a smile. "What is it, Carla?"

"What flavor is the Jell-O?" The little blonde girl wore a timid expression, as if she expected Mulder to bite her.

"It's strawberry."

"I don't like strawberry," she answered in a tiny, hushed voice.

"That's okay - you don't have to eat anything you don't like. Would you just like some ice cream? We have chocolate and vanilla."

"Could I have vanilla, please?"

"Sure." Mulder smiled, then he leaned closer and added in a conspiratorial tone, "I think Dana might even have some fudge sauce to go with that. Would you like that?" It just so happened he'd seen the sauce in the refrigerator earlier.

Carla beamed. "Yes, please."

"Okay. One vanilla ice cream with fudge sauce coming right up." Mulder saw to Carla's dessert then helped Scully with the others. He noticed a small portion of Jell-O was left. "I'll have some of that, if you don't mind." Scully gave him her famous look. Oops. Manners, Mulder - ladies first. "Unless you want it," he offered.

"No, you have it, Mulder. I'd hate to deprive you," answered Scully.

"Thanks." He grinned, kissing her cheek. He added a scoop of both chocolate and vanilla ice cream, then, "I think I'll have a drop of that fudge sauce on top."

"How does your stomach stand it, Mulder?" sighed Scully in that long suffering way, as he devoured the dessert with relish.

As soon as everyone had finished their dessert, it was time to light the candles on Sarah's cake. Scully had set seven pink candles in holders on the top of the cake and she lit them with a match, one by one. Mulder conducted the young guests in a rousing chorus of "Happy Birthday," while Sarah sat there beaming, full of excitement.

"Are you ready to blow out the candles and make a wish?" asked her father. The little girl nodded and Scully stood ready with the camera. "Okay. One, two, three - blow."

Sarah took a deep breath and puffed - one, two. Six candles were blown out, but the last was proving difficult to extinguish, so Mulder leaned over as unobtrusively as he could and helped her, giving a gentle puff. Eventually the last candle was extinguished to a chorus of clapping and cheering.

"What did you wish for, Sarah?" asked Lucy.

"It's a secret," answered Sarah. "If I tell you, it won't come true." The little girl looked up at her father. "That's right, isn't it, Daddy?"

"It sure is, sweetheart." All the same, Mulder was also curious as to what his daughter had wished for.

Scully came through with Sarah's unopened birthday gifts. Now would be an ideal opportunity to open them, and at the same time the children could be resting after the food and before the next game. "Sarah, would you like to open these presents now?" she asked, setting them in front of the child.

"Yes please."

"Would you like me to read the tags for you?"

"I can do it, Dana," Sarah assured her, taking the first gift from the pile. Mulder covered his mouth with a hand, masking a smile. That was his Sarah - independent to the last. She was seven now, and not likely to let anyone forget it.

"Okay." Scully ran a loving hand over the child's dark hair. "I'll leave you to it." Sarah tore the paper off the gift, which came from Lucy, to find a friendship bracelet craft kit. "I used to make those, Sarah - I could help you if you like," offered Scully.

She remembered them from her own schooldays - they'd been all the rage. She'd pestered Mrs. Scully to buy her a kit and then she and Melissa had spent hours plaiting and weaving the colored strands together to make the bracelets. Some things never went out of fashion, but came and went as every generation discovered them anew.

"Are you sure you can remember how, Scully?" grinned Mulder. "The Dark Ages were an awful long time ago!"

She threw him a wry smile. "I guess I walked into that one, didn't I?"

"Yeah, you did." He spread his hands. "I'm sorry, Scully - I couldn't resist it." Mulder's attention went back to his daughter. "So, sweetheart, what else have you got there?" The little girl opened the rest of the gifts one by one. They ranged from simple games and books to a small conjuring set with easy-to-do tricks, which Sarah was thrilled with. "I always wanted one of these," said Mulder wistfully, picking up the magic set. "I never got one, though."

"You can play with this one, Daddy," offered Sarah. "We can do the tricks together."

Mulder smiled warmly. "I'd like that, sweetheart."

Sarah and her guests were getting restless. It was time for another game. "Who wants to play 'Pin The Tail on the Donkey'?" asked Mulder. Seven arms shot up into the air. "All right! Let's go into the living room and get set up." He turned to Scully as the children headed for the other room. "Scully, do you have a dark scarf we could use for a blindfold, and a piece of ribbon for the tail?"

"I'll go and look. I'm sure Mom'll have some oddments of ribbon in her sewing box, and there's probably a scarf or two in her closet."

While Scully was looking for these essential items, Mulder brought in the other things needed for the game. He was setting up in the living room when Scully came back with a black silk scarf and a length of dark red ribbon. "Just what is that supposed to be, Mulder?" Scully stood there with her hands on her hips, scrutinizing the large drawing that was pinned to a cork bulletin board.

"The back end of a donkey," he replied.

"Well, it must be an alien donkey, because I've never seen one that looks like that!"

Mulder mouthed a 'ha ha' at her and shrugged. "So I'm no good at drawing."

"I think that's fairly plain, Mulder. You might have had more success asking Sarah to draw it. And where did you get the board from?"

"I borrowed it. From the office."

"Ah, I thought there was something missing when I left yesterday evening!" She pointed to the large black 'X' in the middle of the drawing. "And what might this be, Mulder?"

"Haven't you heard of 'X' marks the spot, Scully?" He grinned at her. "That's where you have to pin the tail on the donkey."

"Mulder, the donkey's tail should be higher up than that."

Mulder rolled his eyes. "Well, excuse me for not making it anatomically correct! If I'd known you required a masterpiece, I would've commissioned one. C'mon, Scully - work with me here. Where's your sense of fun?"

Scully was just about to come back with a swift rejoinder when Sarah said impatiently, "Come on, Daddy - hurry up. We want to play the game."

Finally, Mulder was ready. He explained how the game was played and that whoever placed their tail nearest the 'X' was the winner. Once again, Sarah was first up. Mulder carefully tied the scarf around her head, ensuring that it wasn't too tight. "Can you see anything, Sarah?"

"No, Daddy."

"Good. Here's your tail, now I'm going to spin you around three times." The little girl clasped the length of ribbon in her hand as her father turned her slowly around three times, the other children counting along with him. Sarah moved forward tentatively, her arms stretched out in front of her, feeling for obstacles. Her guests called out to her, directing her forwards, left or right. "Am I there yet, Daddy?" asked the little girl.

"Almost."

"Which way do I go?"

"Forward!" called Vanessa. "Two steps." Sarah reached out and her fingers came into contact with the drawing on the pin board. She swept her fingers across it, meeting the raised edges at the sides, top and bottom. Mulder was secretly proud that she'd approached the problem in a methodical way. He wondered if any of the other children would have thought of feeling for the edges. Finally, Sarah chose a spot and pinned the ribbon to the board, then took a step back and pulled off the blindfold.

"That's a pretty good try, Sarah," said Scully warmly. The little girl was thrilled. Sarah had placed the ribbon an inch or so away from the target. "I'll just mark it with your initial." Scully removed the ribbon and pin, then wrote a tiny 'S' over the pin mark. "There we are. Now, who wants to go next?" Bobby and Lucy took the next two tries.

Then Sarah turned to her father. "It's your turn, Daddy."

"Oh, you want me to have a go?" Sarah nodded. "Vanessa will put the blindfold on you." Mulder squatted to enable Vanessa to tie the scarf around his head. "Can you see anything, Daddy?"

"No, not a thing," answered Mulder. "Are you sure?" asked Sarah. "You won't peek, will you?"

"I won't peek, sweetheart."

"Okay. Bobby and Darryl will spin you around." That done, Mulder opened his eyes behind the scarf. He couldn't see a thing, but he could hear the children calling out with directions. He tilted his head back in an effort to see under the edge of the scarf, but it was to no avail. Under the pretense of scratching his nose, Mulder lifted the blindfold slightly to see where Scully was standing. She had her back to him at that precise moment. He grinned, then started walking slowly in her direction, still maintaining the illusion of playing the game, his arms stretched out in front of him as if feeling for obstacles. In his right hand he clutched the 'tail.'

"Where are you going, Daddy?" cried Sarah suddenly, noticing that her father was completely off course. "You're going the wrong way! The donkey's over here."

Mulder stopped dead on the spot. "Did you say 'donkey,' Sarah?" He sounded unsure. "I thought you said pin the tail on the Dana."

"What?!" Scully whirled around and almost jumped out of her skin, not realizing Mulder was so close. "Don't you dare, Mulder."

The children thought it was hilarious and shrieked with laughter as he whipped off the blindfold and grinned at her. "As if I would, Scully. It'd be more than my life was worth!"

Scully shook her head and smiled. "I never know with you, Mulder. For that, you get to make brunch tomorrow." She didn't know who was enjoying the party more - Mulder or the children. She marveled at the way he interacted with them. He was having the time of his life, joining in with all the games. If one child wasn't so good at a particular game he was there beside them, helping them along. Little did she know he was about to turn the tables on her.

"I think Dana should take a turn, don't you?" Mulder grinned evilly at her. "What do you all think?" A chorus of little voices screeched out, "Yes!"

"No, I don't think so, Mulder," said Scully, shaking her head. "Yes, I think so, Scully. Who thinks Dana should have the next turn?" Mulder knew he had the kids eating out of his hand. Another affirmative chorus rose from the collective voices. "That's it, Scully - by unanimous vote, you're next for the blindfold. If you would care to step this way..."

She gave him a look that said, 'I'll get you for this' as she stepped forward to be blindfolded. She'd think of a suitable retribution later. "Don't you dare whizz me around, Mulder," warned Scully, as he tied the scarf around her head. "I'm not a spinning top."

"Trust me, Scully," he replied smoothly, and she could tell he was smiling. He finished tying the scarf with a loose knot. "There, it's not too tight, is it?"

"No, it's fine, Mulder."

"Good." He kissed the soft skin behind her ear and patted her shoulders. "I want you to be comfortable, Scully. Are you ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be." Scully gritted her teeth, waiting for Mulder to send her spinning like a whirling dervish, but he was as gentle with her as he'd been with everyone else.

The children counted the turns with him and then she was on her own. Scully found it disconcerting to have seven little voices all calling to her at once. She did her best to respond to each instruction, but was sure she was going hopelessly off course. And then Mulder chimed in. For all she knew, he was sending her out of the door and into the garden. Scully could hear him chortling as she wandered about the room, her arms waving about in front of her. What she couldn't see, or hear over the din, was Mulder snapping away with the camera. Finally, and not without almost falling flat on her face - thanks to Mulder doing his utmost to confuse her with his directions - Scully reached the pinboard. She had the little guests on her side - they continued to call out as her hand hovered over the drawing. "Am I anywhere near the 'X'?"

Scully called out above the din. "Move your hand to the left," squeaked a little voice - Scully thought it sounded like Cindy. "Here?"

"A bit more." Was that Darryl?

"Hey, this is cheating!" said Mulder good naturedly.

"You cheated at "Musical Chairs," Daddy," Sarah reminded him pointedly.

"Thank you for reminding your father about that, Sarah." Scully smiled under the blindfold. "Under those circumstances, Mulder, I don't think you have any grounds for complaint. Now, I think I'm ready to pin this tail on the donkey." With a flourish, Scully pressed the ribbon into the drawing on the board, then stepped back and whipped off the blindfold. "How did I do?"

"Pretty good, Scully, considering you had a lot of help," observed Mulder. "Do I sense sour grapes here, Mulder? Maybe if you hadn't been so interested in pinning the tail on me instead of the proper target..." Mulder held the camera aloft and grinned. "I'd just like to remind you that I was busy snapping away with the camera while you were stumbling around in that blindfold. I have some pretty incriminating shots here. I'd hate for them to fall into the wrong hands!" His grin was positively wicked. "Mulder, you are shameless," chuckled Scully. "I guess that makes us even, then." She turned to Sarah. "Sweetheart, could you mark my place, please." Sarah uncapped a blue felt pen. "Excuse me, Daddy, you're in the way."

"You'd better mark mine DS," instructed Scully. "We don't want to get confused with Darryl."

"Okay." The little girl wrote the initials on the paper. Everyone eventually had a turn, and a winner emerged in the shape of Bobby.

"That was fun, Daddy. Can we play again?" asked Sarah. Mulder consulted his watch. "There isn't enough time to let everyone have another go, it's half past six already."

"Let me see, Daddy." Sarah held her father's wrist as she made a note of the time.

"Why don't you go out into the garden?" suggested Scully, hearing Mulder and Sarah's exchange. Scully thought that letting the children run around in the garden would also allow her and Mulder to make a start on the clearing up, although there wasn't as much mess as Scully might have expected. There was no food trampled into the carpet, and no spilled drinks as had happened at a few other children's parties she'd attended. Not only that, it was an ideal way to let them expend any remaining energy.

"Can we, Dana?" asked Sarah eagerly.

"Sure." Scully smiled, running a hand over the child's hair. "Go on, off you go."

Mulder walked into the kitchen, Carla clutching his hand. "I see you've managed to find yourself an admirer." Scully smiled. What was it with Mulder? Females of all ages seemed to find him irresistible. Carla had stayed near him throughout the afternoon.

He grinned at her. "Why, Scully - do I detect a hint of jealousy?" he teased. "You have nothing to worry about, you know."

"I should hope not, Mulder. What can I do for you?"

"Carla would like to use the bathroom."

"Sure. Come with me, sweetie. I'll show you where it is." Scully smiled, held out her hand to the little girl and off they went. When she returned to the kitchen a few minutes later, she was alone. Carla had joined the rest of the young guests in the garden. Mulder had made a start on loading the dishwasher. "Would you like me to start the coffee now, or shall we wait until the party's over?" he asked as Scully handed him a plate. "Let's wait until everyone's gone home and we can relax." She studied him as he moved between the table and the counter. He looked as fresh as a daisy while she felt exhausted. "Carla and I had a nice chat. She's very taken with you, Mulder."

"What can I say, Scully? I just exude a raw, animal magnetism that women find irresistible." He gave her that irrepressible grin that made his eyes crinkle and she couldn't help but smile.

Scully slotted another plate into the dishwasher and Mulder passed her one of the bowls that had held the chips. "I don't know about you, Mulder, but my ears are ringing." Mulder cupped a hand around his right ear. "What did you say? I can't hear you through all this din."

"Oh, Mulder." Scully chortled and swatted him with her hand. "Pass me that last bowl."

"I never realized so few children could make so much noise." He glanced out of the kitchen window. Sarah and her young guests were dashing around the garden quite happily. "I hope their noise doesn't disturb your mom's neighbors."

"Don't worry about it, Mulder. The Magnussons are away and Mrs. Thompson is hard of hearing." Scully gave him a smile and started the dishwasher cycle. "You want to help me with the cake?"

"Sure." Scully portioned the birthday cake and Mulder wrapped the slices in paper napkins, both of them keeping an eye on the children, through the kitchen window, as they tore around the garden playing tag.

"Your brownies went like the proverbial hot cakes," commented Mulder, as he slipped a slice of cake into each party bag.

"So I noticed," answered Scully drily. "I'm surprised you left any for the kids."

Mulder gave her a sheepish grin. He couldn't resist the thick, fudgy chocolate frosting. Mulder placed the remaining wrapped portion of cake into the last party bag. "Is that it, Scully? Are we all done with the party bags now?"

"Yeah. I put all the chocolate coins and candy bars in earlier."

"Hmm." He picked up one of the colorful little bags and looked inside. "You know, Scully - I think I'd like one of these! All those goodies... I feel like I'm missing out on something important." His face suddenly bore a sad expression, his thoughts of the dark, distant past.

"Mulder? What's wrong?" asked Scully softly, touching his wrist. The faraway look in his eyes hadn't gone unnoticed.

"Nothing, Scully." Mulder shrugged. He didn't want to go into it right now. "It's nothing."

Scully took his hands in hers. "Tell me, Mulder. Please."

He sighed deeply. "I was just thinking that a birthday party is an important event in a child's life... a sort of 'rite of passage' in a way. A memory to treasure for the rest of your life..." Another deep sigh escaped. "I don't have those memories, Scully."

"You never had a birthday party, Mulder?" Scully wasn't surprised, given what she knew about his childhood. "What about Samantha?"

"Sam had a party on her sixth birthday - I always remember it because my dad was there. It was one of the few occasions he was home at the same time as a family birthday fell."

"How come Sam had a party and you didn't?"

Mulder shrugged again. "Maybe my mom felt that it was more of a girly thing, I don't know." Mulder's gaze shifted to the window, and he stared out at his daughter, who was running around Mrs. Scully's garden joyously, her hair flying out behind her. "One thing I do know is that I want Sarah to have those memories, I want her to have something to treasure for the rest of her life."

Scully squeezed his hands. "She will, Mulder. I don't think she'll ever forget today, and that's all down to you. You made it special." She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him, then they shared a long, lingering kiss, until seven hot and thirsty children charged into the kitchen demanding cold drinks.

One by one, the parents began arriving to collect their offspring. Sarah thanked each little guest as they left for their birthday card and gift, and for coming to her party. Each child trooped off happily carrying a party bag, and talking animatedly of the party activities and the antics of Sarah's daddy. Vanessa was the last to leave. "Thank you for inviting me," she said. "You're welcome, Vanessa," replied Mulder. He suspected she didn't get many party invitations. "We're glad you could come." He squeezed Sarah's shoulders gently. "Sweetheart, say goodbye to Vanessa now. You'll see her again at school on Monday."

The two little girls said their goodbyes, and once Vanessa and her foster father had pulled away from the curb, Mulder closed the front door. It was time to relax at long last.

"All my friends think you're funny, Daddy."

Mulder sat on the sofa, with Sarah in his lap. She was dressed in her pajamas, freshly bathed after all her running about, and his arms rested around her loosely as they all took the opportunity to wind down from the party. "Do they? Why's that?" he asked, toying with a strand of her hair.

"Because you do silly things and make them laugh."

"Oh. Do you think I'm silly, Scully?"

"Frequently, Mulder."

"Somehow I had the feeling you'd say that," he chuckled. "Seriously, Mulder - you were a big hit," said Scully with a smile. She didn't know how he did it, but he had that uncanny knack of being able to tune into a child's wavelength. Not many parents, let alone fathers, would have let their hair down and joined in with the activities in the way that Mulder had, but after his kitchen confession, Scully could understand why this particular father had. "I think those kids will talk about this party for a long time to come." He gave a self-conscious shrug. "I just wanted everyone to enjoy themselves and have fun. That's the whole point of a party, isn't it?" Mulder turned his attention back to his daughter. "So, Sarah - did you have good time?"

"Yes, thank you, Daddy. It was the best party I've ever been to!" declared Sarah, with a big smile. She threw her arms around his neck and squeezed.

Mulder laughed and returned her hug. "I'm glad, sweetheart."

"Thank you for my party, Daddy. And thank you for the food and everything, Dana."

Scully reached out and caressed the soft little face. "You're very welcome, Sarah. I enjoyed doing it."

**

The last of the clearing up had been done, the furniture had all been returned to its rightful position and Sarah was safely tucked up in bed asleep. The little girl had gone out like a light, exhausted from the party activities. Mulder flopped down onto the couch, and Scully scooted along and settled in beside him. At long last they were alone together. "You sure know how to throw a party, Scully." He smiled. "I think we could hail today a success, don't you? How do you feel about doing it again next year?"

Scully groaned. "I'll let you know when I've recovered from this one."

Mulder chuckled. His arm went around her shoulder and he pulled her close, his lips brushing against her forehead. "Mmm... that feels good, Mulder," said Scully softly.

"How about this?" He tilted her face towards him and brought his mouth down to cover hers.

"Even better," she breathed, a little unevenly, when he released her.

"Good." His thumb stroked her cheek, and he leaned in, his lips caressing her ear as he whispered into it, "What say we have a little party of our own? I know a few games we could play..."

The End